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I had a band fitted 6 years ago, lost 6 stone but then developed awful reflux. Looked into having the sleeve but was told by my doctor that would still mean reflux & that he would prefer the bypass. At the time he suggested having the band removed as it deflated now anyway (all 6 stone regained) before bypass but I'm a chick n when it comes to surgery so have asked him to remove it at the same time as the bypass - he did say he would but it is makes the surgery a bit more longer & the recover time a bit longer too?? Has anyone had both done at the same time please & what is your experience? Xx

I had a revision to RNY due to gerd on 2/28. When I had my barium swallow it looked like I had a gastric fundus that had grown at the top of my sleeve, but when the surgeon went in my sleeve was fully intact, with no fundus and minimal stretching. My insurance would not have covered a resleeve. My doctor would never perform a resleeve as he says it's too risky although I have read some promising research that it can be done safely and is a good means to restart weight loss. However, it wouldn't have fixed my problem of gastritis and reflux. I had my sleeve 7 years ago. Good luck to you!

I know once I talked to my doc and he filled me in on the what ifs and could be's we both decided that it would be to much to deal with on all of what I deal with now. When he talked about cancer and possibly doing a revised a couple years later I said one time only is what I want. Good luck to ya jrmoseley!

Definitely call your doctor, but I have it worse now that I have had RNY then I had it with the sleeve (gerd was the reason I was revised to RNY). My doc says sometimes it takes the body a little while to stop producing gastric juices.

I had the sleeve in 2010, and was revised to RNY on 2/28/17. I was having really bad gastritis and gerd; however since getting RNY I have had 2 episodes of waking up to full on vomiting even though I am still taking a PPI. My surgeon said it sometimes takes the body a little while to stop making gastric juices. My doctor expects me to lose about 40-50 pounds. They have (doc and nut) said weight loss will be slow, and I will probably have to work for it. I have lost 25 pounds so far.

In 2009 I had the RNY bypass. After a year and some and some changed I received news that I was pregnant (October 2010). March of 2011, was the worst day of my life. I delivered my first child at 19 weeks and held him in my arms until he stopped breathing. In deep depression I lost a lot of weight, I then again became extremely happy when I found out I was expecting again. I delivered my first healthy child June of 2012. Then I had my next healthy child November 2013 and my last and third healthy child November 2014. During all these pregnancy I could not manage to check the extra pounds. My lowest weight was roughly 200lbs. I am now 270 and it's my biggest failure. I have tried to lose the weight on my own but just can't seem to stay on track. Doctors have recently advised me that I have a gastric fistula and a hitial hernia. Also, the opening to my intestine which is connected to my pouch has a huge opening. This is why I never feel full, my food is being rerouted into my other portion of my stomach as well as being pushed through faster to my intestine. I have now started the process to have a revision which they will also correct the fistula, hernia and opening to the intestine. I have been advised that I will not lose a lot of weight as before but this revision will help me feel full longer which will lead to weight loss. I haven't gained that much and my weight has pretty much stayed the same over the last 4.5 years. I just need a little help to get me back on track.

Has anyone had their gastric sleeve done twice? Mine has stretched out over the past 3 years and I am having the surgery done again. Just wanted to see If anyone else has done this?

Ok, I just got revised to a sleeve and had my band since 2009. Im not going to be a Debbie Downer on the band though. There is no set time to get restriction. Sometimes the fill works, sometimes it doesn't. You might need another adjustment. Also, things like time of day, "time of the month", and stress levels all affect the "tightness" of the band. Also don't be confused by restriction meaning discomfort. If you are full faster, its working. If you "feel" the band you probably ate a bite that was too big or too fast.

Do it! I too was banded in 2011 and revised mid January of this year. Today I got on the scale lighter than I ever was with the band. After 2 and a half months. The sleeve is completely different. It works. It's not VIOLENT. You will not take a random bite of an apple and be in pain for a half an hour. You won't have port pain for forever. You will still need to work and I'm far far from having this all figured out but if your experience was anything like mine you will be very very happy you took the plunge. Oh and also I felt this surgery was easier than the band. I don't know why I was super diligent of about water and walking maybe?? Good luck with your decision. I was super emotional and nervous about this surgery. Something about "doing it again" that made me feel incredibly anxious. I know how you feel but this can and most likely will be your answer! Lap band 9/2011 Revision to gastric sleeve 1/2017 HW:283 CW:225 Goal:160

I'm sending positive vibes your way! [emoji178] It's scary not knowing how things are gonna go. I was much better once they gave me what I call "happy juice" through my IV to help me relax. Just try to remember the revision is a good thing: not only will you lose a few more pounds but you'll also feel better overall! Sent from my SM-G920T using BariatricPal mobile app

I am so glad to hear you are doing well. My revision is scheduled for Monday the 10th. I am still freaking out a little!

nocturnalgemi, Thanks for the response! No, I didn't have a hernia, thankfully. I was afraid of the bypass. I'm not sure why exactly, other than reading horror stories and letting my imagination get the best of me. I had GERD before surgery...however, the surgeon that did my endoscopy (not my gastric surgeon, but one of her peers) said, "oh you are fine to have the sleeve." I also have been a diabetic for almost 17 years. Before the sleeve I was on an insulin pump, taking huge amounts of insulin every day, but it didn't do any good. I was able to get off the insulin pump, however, I still have diabetes, I take an oral medication and my family Dr wants me to add another oral med.... I'm have lost about 38lbs since I had my sleeve in Sept 2014, I was a lower BMI when I started but I still need to lose at least 30 lbs! Granted recently I've not been as disciplined as I should have been, but I don't even feel any restriction at all anymore, makes me sad. I NEVER imagined that I would need a revision, it didn't even cross my mind....some days I wonder if it's worth going through with it, but I can't give up! I should have had the RNY to begin with, this is what I get for being such a baby! Please keep in touch, I would love to see your progress!

It seems like you're all set for your revision. I just wanted to share why I eventually opted for RNY over the sleeve. I initially really, really wanted the sleeve. I suffered from mild to moderate GERD with a hiatal hernia. My doctor strongly advised against the sleeve because of this. He said patients with GERD fare much better with the bypass in the long run, and that those who get sleeved usually have to have the revision done within five years. This occurs even after their GERD issues seemingly disappear. You didn't mention if you have a hiatal hernia, but I did. He also said that while the hernia could be repaired if I got sleeved, it would also likely reoccur within five years. The reason why bypass works so much better compared to the sleeve is because your small intestines anchors the new stomach pouch, preventing it from slipping back up through the diaphragm and causing acid reflux. When my approval went through, it was for the sleeve. Ultimately, I didn't want to risk having a revision in a few years. I wanted this to be one and done. I asked about just repairing the hernia separately later on if I got sleeved and was told hiatal hernia surgery itself is a much more major surgery with greater complications and risks than any weight loss surgery. My surgeon also pointed out that even those who get sleeved still have to take vitamins for the rest of their lives, so there really isn't much difference. I also want to lose as much weight as possible to allow for natural and reasonable weight gain that comes with aging. Bypass weight loss gives you more wiggle room to work with. So I changed my mind and had my paperwork resubmitted for RNY. I didn't have to meet any additional or separate requirements; it was only the matter of updating the insurance code. I'm now 4 days post-op and I don't regret my decision at all.

Hi everyone! I had sleeve surgery in May 2013. Initially I lost about 140lbs, but then about a year and half post op I got pregnant. I gained some weight during and after pregnancy, and then lost some weight as well, and now I'm having a complication of some esophageal issues where I'm not able to swallow correctly. I have an appointment with a really great surgeon at an exceptional hospital in the Chicago area. I will have my first visit with them in April. I was hospitalized in January for Fluid build up and severe infection of my right lung. This was caused by aspirating food and fluid due to my esophageal problem. They did an esophogram and upper GI while I was in the hospital, and the gastroenterologist who was treating me in the hospital informed me that my sleeve had stretched, my stomach was nearly the size of a normal stomach. Additionally, the lower part of my esophagus where it connects to the stomach is dilated, as if my lower esophagus has been acting as a food pouch for quite some time. I was really shocked by this, as I had no issues post op from my sleeve and only stopped losing weight when I became pregnant, which I figured was to be expected. But since I had my baby in May 2015, I have struggled to lose anything. I was doing a keto diet at the end of last year and that was working, until I got sick in January. Now that my esophageal issues have been diagnosed, I have trouble eating anything solid. My weight has maintained since I was admitted in January but I haven't had any significant loss since then. Long story short, my primary focus is to get my esophagus issues figured out and fixed, but they referred me to two different docs - one that specializes in swallowing disorders, and the other is a GI/bariatric surgeon to address my stretched pouch. Since I'll likely need surgery to fix my esophagus, it would make sense to do any revision to my sleeve at the same time. I feel like I have 2 options (maybe 3) to discuss with regard to fixing the sleeve. Either re-sleeve, DS, or revise to gastric bypass. I should note that my highest weight was around 460, so even when I was at my lowest weight before getting pregnant, I was still at 306ish. I'm currently around 340-345 putting my BMI around 48. When I first started thinking of going the surgical route for WLS, something about the gastric bypass didn't appeal to me. So now I am struggling with if I should re-sleeve or go for the DS. I'm thinking since I still have so much to lose, the DS might be a better choice, but I honestly don't know enough about it to make a decision. I've read the limited info I could find about DS, I realize it's not a particularly popular surgical choice, but I want to hear from people who've had it, possibly people who had it after having a sleeve. I'd love to hear your stories and thoughts on the DS!

Hi, I developed 3 keloid scars and and one of them kept getting irritated because it rubbed my bra. I had surgery 1 Dec 2015 and about 6 months later during my doctor follow up I asked him if he could remove them. I scheduled and outpatient minor surgery (scar revision) and everything went well. I was given a cream to put on the wounds for 5 days, I think it was some type of steroid to prevent another scar from forming. Two weeks later it was completely healed. I do have a bit of discoloration in that area but with time you can barely tell. By the way, I lost 100 lb 9 months after my surgery I used to weight 282 lb. In total I lost 127 lb and as of today I weight 156 lb.

What is overstitch revision?

There's no way to know. The odds of needing a revision whether it be complications, reflux, etc. is fairly low, but it still does happen. Can't avoid the risks. Just do what you can to mitigate any complications that could be caused by yourself. I have moderate reflux (GERD) and am going with 3 surgeons' advice to get the VSG done, with a revision option a year down the road (I believe it would be more like 2 or 3 but we'll see) to RNY. I too worry about getting worse reflux and the staging of esophageal damage but generally people can also take PPI's to help mitigate this by default.

With all due respect, it sounds like you're putting the cart before the horse. There's a lot on your mind at this stage. Focus on what you can control now and you won't need to sweat a revision later. Good luck!

I know I will do everything in my power to use my upcoming surgery to it's fullest and get the maximum benefit from it. I also am not a judgmental person. But I am scared to death of going through all this process and needing a revision in 5 years. What would make someone need one, because I know everyone who has a revision isn't eating off the wall. How do you know if you'll need one? Is there a way to make sure I only have to go under the knife once?

I'm want to share my story so that any of you who are in the fence about this can have a full picture of what can happen both bad and good. I had gastric bypass dec 2014. My surgery was very very painful. The first two days I vomited a lot of blood and they had trouble getting my pain under control. They gave me a lot of narcotics. My dr, dr Thoman from Santa Barbara, barely checked on me. I was at cottage hospital in SB. I went home after five days in the hospital. I was going okay but then. The mental challenge of not eating was no joke. It was something I was so used to. They had given me a ton of narcotics and I kinda used those to cope with the emotions of not being able to eat. About a week later I started to have major pain in my upper stomach. I went back to cottage and they found stones in my gallbladder so out it came. I went home but the pain remained. My doctor was very absent during this time. I told him about the pain and I kept taking more and more narcotics to deal with it. He blamed my pain on the narcotics but I felt trapped in a catch 22. Take them or not take them.. either way.. pain. Finally after several exploratory surgeries my dr decided to revert my surgery and make it into a gastric sleeve. After that my pain was gone but I was by now hooked on narcotics. I ended up having to go to a detox facility to get off of them. Worst week of my life. I could barely eat anything during this time and dropped weight rapidly. After I was free of the narcs and started to try and eat. But I could not get anything solid to pass through my stomach. Months went by and finally I said- okay something is wrong. Every time I ate solids I threw up. I elected to go to a new doctor after my bad experience with dr Thoman. I just felt he didn't care and no loner trusted him and his bedside manner was terrible. I went with dr Swartz in Fresno and he was great. I diagnosed me with a sever structure and did an endoscopy which opened it up. He said I had a ton of scar tissue from dr Thomans style of revision. After that I gradually began to eat some solids and after many months is continued to approve. Needless to say I lost a huge amount of weight very fast and was loving that. However I had severe malnutrition. My hair fell out in clumps and my legs went numb. I have dumping syndrome and I also still Sometimes vomit if I don't chew enough of just having a bad day or mix liquids with solids etc. I feel the American health care system to be very lacking in post operative care. Also they pass out narcotics like they are candy which had a lot to do with my issues. It's been over 2 years. I went from 240 to 115. I've since gained back to 129 and am holding there. I no longer diet, I just eat to fullness and try not to think about food very much. I run and lift weights daily and that has been the key for me to feel comfortable without having to stay on a diet forever which is impossible to do. Reaching maintenance was the hardest part of this process and I had very little advice to help me besides to stay on a diet forever. Ones appetite does return and one is able to eat much larger quantities that early on. For instance, now I can eat almost a whole chipotle burrito. I decided dieting wasn't for me and embraced intuitive eating philosophies instead which help me maintain in a place I am happy with. I still live with this surgery in a daily basis. Food gets stuck at least a couple times a week and I have to throw up do to the pain. I can't eat too much or eat with liquids or I will have dumping syndrome. (Yes you can dump with a sleeve). I am happy but good is always an issue. I feel quite sick after I eat sometimes. It's always a struggle for me. I'm not sure if this is due to my complications or just the surgery itself. My best friend had bypass and she says the same thing. On a positive note I have an amazing body. I really really enjoy my body and my energy and health and I would do it all again even though it was hard. I can run, chase my kids, work my active job, wear any clothes I desire. I feel very attractive. If you are considering this surgery because you aren't able to live a healthy and energetic life at your current weight, than do it. It won't change how you feel about yourself on the inside and it could end up being replaced by other dependency issues... but at least you will be physically stronger and healthier. I suggest therapy for anyone that is going to do this. Healing comes from within. Remember you will never again be able to eat to your hearts content. You won't be able to feel like you do now when you eat. This surgery will not help you maintain your weight loss forever and it's vital that you have realistic expectations. Try and make peace with food. Don't see it as an enemy but as a vital component to health. I dealt with very little loose skin. Mostly on my neck and tummy. I am now having plastic surgery for it in Mexico which I will post about in the plastic surgery section. On a side note, I you are considering vsg surgery in Mexico, I would highly recommend it. My care here has been extraordinary.

I just went to Mexico on the 20th. Dr. Illan. I thought I would just be lounging around the hotel room for 2 days after surgery. How wrong I was! The valet had us out walking (optional) both days. I was out for 5 hours the first day, and 8 hours the second. I brought too many pjs and not enough real clothes. The real clothes should have a stretchy waist, as your abdomen will be swollen. Good walking shoes are a must. I did notice the virgin sleeves had the easiest recovery. Bypasses and revisions are harder. Don't know what it is like with other surgeons...

Hi There! What I think you need to do is start logging in your food, your exercise, your water. I think that you probably need to revise your diet, remove lots of carbs and put back in lean proteins. Try to get all your steps in and keep the water up. For me I have bacon and cheese for breakfast, I have homemade low carb chili, butter chicken or teriyaki chicken then for lunch and dinner (and the mid meals). I get at least 64oz of water in and try to walk at least 8K steps. You need to restrict calories, remove carbs, increase water and walking. Good luck, I know this isn't easy and I hope this helps!!!

That's what I've been leaning towards. Just weird, when I started having problems with my band, I immediately wanted and was ready to have it removed and be revised to a different surgery. It took years for them to help me out and now I am super nervous about and scared to have revision surgery. I am not even interested in having the surgery, but I do realize I need it to help with weightloss. I can't do it on my own, especially with my metabolic and hormonal abnormaloties. I need to be brave. Every time I think about surgery, I get major anxiety. Been this way for about 7 or 8 years now. Hoping I get over the fear an axiety soon!

ren0318 No I haven't had any more acid reflux problems at all.I was at 240 when i had the revision ,I have lost 43 lbs now.my taste buds have change more.I used to love Diet Coke.I tasted some one day all I could taste was a chemical flavor..Have to make real sure I take small bites and chew a lot.I did have 2 partial knee replacements after the sleeve ,so I didn't exercise as much. Now I can walk and exercise..i really feel it if i don't get my protein and keep up fluid intake now.My goal weight is 150 for now.Working hard to get there. Don't know your age but i'm 62..Stay in touch.

Thanks, @NancyNYC! BTW, Dr. Fielding did my lap-band surgery years ago! I ended up having to revise to a VSG, but not b/c Dr. Fielding wasn't an amazing surgeon.