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I'm having my revision on Wednesday, and I can 100% relate to the issues faced after having fluid removed from the band, I had a harder time eating the proper sized portions and for lack of a better description, I ate like an *rhymes with Bass Hole*, you know all the things you really aren't supposed to do, I did and I gained 8 lbs before starting my pre-op diet. But, good news is, I've lost 14lbs in 2 weeks thus far as of this mornings weight check. Just do your best, keep yourself in check and keep thinking about the reasons why you wanted WLS in the first place. Keep those protein and water intakes good and high, you'll be fine!

I suffered too with all of the problems that the Lap Band brings with it. Throwing up EVERY meal that was not a liquid, reflux, wondering why I was not getting full after 2-3 bites then having those bites come up 5 minutes or sometimes an hour later, lost 60lbs then 4 years later gained it back, then found out the band slipped and had to be removed and that was why I gained the weight back. 5 years of misery. Finally I had it rremoved a month ago and had a revision to the sleeve. WOW, what a difference. Finally, something that actually does what they told me it would. I eat a couple bites and I am full. I am a month out and 22 lbs down and feel amazing. I finally feel like I have my life back

Can anyone recommend a surgeon in the area who will do removal by itself, without revising to another procedure? If you do, please let me know. Thanks!

I'm going in for my revision in 2 days. My Dr td me that after he does the surgery, he will be sliding a tube down me to check for any bleeding so he can see if there are any tears.

The revision would be because of the reflux. He's just afraid that it could cause erosion or ulcerations in the esophogus and make it even worse than it is now. He might be giving the meds a bit longer to see if they can help. He did tell me to put cinder blocks under the head of my bed. I asked "Instead of my wedge?" He said no, keep the wedge, too! Maybe I will call up on Monday and see if they will refer me to a gastroenterologist. I was just caught completely off-guard and didn't come up with any good questions. I'm great with numbers, not so much with words

Sorry this is happening to you. I am having a revision surgery because my tubing is broken off. I had my surgery in Mexico and since I now have bariatric coverage, I can fix it at home. I am still debating between the band and the sleeve. My doctor says the sleeve is the way to go. He said once you have one complication, there is an 85% chance anther problem will occur. It's no fun having a broken band! I am just thankful I found a surgeon to fix my problem.

How many revisions has your surgeon done? (AGB -> VSG?) Do you know? If not that's ok, but I'm curious. I'm not a surgeon, but I would question this when you next speak. Usually time just allows more scar tissue to form, so would he try and repair adhesions/scar tissue at the time of removal, and trust that you'll stay cleaned up until 12 months later? I'm definitely ana dvocate of having a waiting period between procedures, but waiting a year because you have a lot of scar tissue just doesn't make sense. I'd definitely ask some clarifying questions if it were me.

I work at the hospital where I had my surgery and all of the surgeons here do the revision in 1 surgery. I had it done last month. No complication and no scar tissue issues.

Good Morning. I am about 6 weeks out from my revision from Band to Sleeve. Doing well but really need a Coach/buddy/pal to keep me accountable. I am following the Beck Diet Solution (Judith Beck) and one of the things I need and want to do is have someone that I can Communicate with at least weekly, before key events, and daily as needed for support and accountability. I want to share weekly changes in weight, successes, receive positive reinforcements, and talk about struggles or setbacks. I also want to be able to talk before high risk situations and discuss strategies for success in these situations (the holidays are coming soon). And I want to be able to reach out to someone if I struggle on a given day. I would in turn be most happy to be your coach/buddy/pal/mentor and help you with the same. I want accountability, trust, and support even when I struggle. Bonus if you are doing the Beck Diet Solution or are willing to, but that is not of course mandatory. Thank you for listening.

Oh man, what terrible news. Sorry, been off the site for a few days and just saw your post. It does though explain the problems you've been having. I would get in to see a Gastroenterologist ASAP. I wouldn't at all be happy with the "see you in September" response that your surgeon gave you. Honestly, he should have refereed you to an GI specialist! Your surgeon may never have seen your issue, but a Gastroenterologist will have! You need to get your esophagus issue sorted first, and your surgeon is already thinking a revision!?! Now this might be the biggest tragedy of all, lol!

Never let anyone push you into any surgical procedure of any kind. Whatever op you choose, make sure you do it because you know that it is absolutely right for you. I chose the Lap Band for several reasons: Procedure: Fast and lower impact on my bod. No cutting and removal or rerouting of my internal organs. Adjustable: Mama is a control freak who likes things just so. Yep. Knowing that I can customize my band to my exacting specifications was a big draw for me. Revisable: Should there be a difficulty in future, it is pretty fixable. Should it fail, it is removable. Reversable: Let's face it. Sh*t happens. If, God forbid I get sick or injured to the point that my band is in the way of my treatment and or healing, it can easily be removed, my stomach will return to normal and I can get on with whatever I have to get on with. A sleeve or bypass would not have given me that option. I love my band, it is helping me, it is working for me and I am happy that I got it. But in the end, you need to think through all of your options very carefully, decide what will work best for YOU. For your body, your health concearns, lifestyle, what you are willing to work with and so forth then go forward, secure on the knowledge that you are acting in your own best interests. Good luck, no matter what surgery you choose. It is all about regaining your life and health!

My brother is a highly intelligent man. This was proven decades ago, when IQ tests (performed while his teachers and parents tried to figure out why he was a miserable little bugger) showed a genius level IQ. I know that sentence sounds unsympathetic to my brother, but we were all miserable - our parents, his teachers, me, and my brother. The decades that have passed since then haven't given him any more common sense or made him any less miserable. A good example of that is his reaction when I first talked with him about my weight loss surgery. This highly intelligent and (by then) well-read man said, "Wow! So, you have the surgery, and then you eat anything you want and you still lose weight!" Well, no, I told him. Not really. In fact, nothing like that. During the 6 years of my weight loss surgery journey, I have (over and over and over again) witnessed bariatric patients who came out of the operating room after surgically successful procedures still wondering why they couldn't eat anything want and still lose weight. Their disappointing weight loss was and is a perpetual puzzle to them because somehow they had not grasped that behavioral change is required for weight loss success. It's easy to label those patients as stupid or ignorant or deluded, or to blame their bariatric team for failure to properly educate those patients about what would be required of them both pre- and post-op. All of those things could be a factor. In March 2012 I attended 2 sessions of a required pre-op nutrition and education class. My BMI then made me obese, but not morbidly so. I had gained weight after a complete unfill and was preparing to say goodbye to my beloved band due to medical problems aggravated by my band, planning to revise to vertical sleeve gastrectomy in the same procedure. The dietitian leading the class was a perky, pretty 20-something girl, adorably pregnant, who had clearly never struggled with her weight before. Her slightly condescending attitude was hard to take, but about halfway through the class I thought I could understand her attitude. She had just named a long list of foods we should not eat after surgery (including fried foods, candy, baked goodies, soda, alcohol, salty snacks, etc.) when I heard a woman nearby say bitterly, "I don't know. That seems like an awful lot to give up." Since I had known the before and after of WLS, I was strongly tempted to respond to her, but I held my tongue (wisely, for once). I don't know just why so many people think that WLS is magic, that you can eat anything you want and still lose weight; that you don't have to give up a single food or behavior or attitude in order to succeed. Maybe we can blame that kind of thinking on the media, or maybe we can blame it on the deeply-entrenched denial that tends to go along with obesity. But the fact is, you can't eat anything and still lose weight unless you're dying of cancer or AIDs or some other fatal disease, and probably don't want to eat a single bite of anything anyway. And I'd trade dying of cancer for WLS sacrifices and success any old day, wouldn't you?

There is no right or wrong answer to your question. This is a completely personal choice based on what you are comfortable with. I personally have done both... i told everyone when i had the band. And now that i have the sleeve i told only my family and 1 close friend. I choose not to tell the 2nd time around because i was sick of being known as the girl who had wls. Everything revolved around my weight and what i ate... i was no longer "me" my wls became what defined me, and i received a lot of negativity and pressure. I would get judged if i ate something naughty People felt it was okay to comment about everything and give unwanted advice I was constantly being watched when i ate, and criticized when THEY thought i ate too much or badly The pressure was overwhelming and i just didn't need it, especially when i am so hard on myself anyway. I felt that i wasn't given credit for my hard work, and was constantly being told i took the easy way out. I also lost many friendships as they felt i "changed"... because i was no longer their doormat and got my confidence back.. During arguments i had people use my weight loss against me when they ran out of ammunition. These were the main issues for me.. so when i was revised to the sleeve after having it removed for 12 months... i decided that it was no ones business and i didn't need the additional drama. This time... its all about me... i am choosing to be selfish for a change and do what is in my best interests. I have decided not to hand over my power to other people as i am a sensitive person who takes things quite personally. However, my experience is exactly that. .. my experience... people in your life might be supportive... they might suprise you. It really depends what you actually want. Which way are you feeling? How have these people handled things in the past? Are they jealous? What type of people are they?

Hi there... yes this is *the* place!! Many of us do understand how the reckless the band can be and getting revised has been one true blessing. I was able to gain all my weight back WITH the band!! It's gone now and I'm on my way down every single day. Loving it!! Come here to vent anytime. Especially with that story it is so justified! Hugs, and here's to hoping you will get your sleeve very soon. You are going to be so amazed!!

Hey there girl. I'm waiting to be sleeved by Dr. Mehta at UT physicians, it's a revision from the lapband Dr Felix Spiegel put in 5yrs ago. By far one of the worst doctors I have ever met. Me and 2 others he worked on have had nothing but complications and he and his facility have HORRIBLE bed side manor. If you haven't chosen a doctor yet please don't chose him. You're safer being self pay in Mexico and having a Houston doctor do your follow ups. Message me if you need any info

i'm being revised tomorrow and I'm a nervous wreck!!! Unsure why - been anxious for a few days.. I was so ready in March, then April, and here I am and nervous!

I can attest to what your dr said. I was a self professed sugar addict. Even with my band, I would go to sugar for comfort. I was revised to rny last june and now never think about sweets. I have had a few things but it doesn't taste good to me anymore. Honestly I crave vegetables and fruit now. It is amazing to me because I was always the girl who looked at the dessert menu first at a restaurant. Oh and no heartburn or reflux since the revision is my added bonus. I am 117 down from my all time highest weight of 267 and life is wonderful.

Just got my surgery date last week for 5/2/11. They short-scheduled it for me because I have a week then with no work obligations. The surgeon's office just submitted the paperwork to my insurance company last Friday, but I got the call today (4/20) that I have been approved. It seems very much more real now, as there are no obstacles left. I have been in the program since last September, and it seemed to take forever, but now it is full speed ahead. Woo hoo! My dr is having to appeal my medicaid ins plan for my surgical revision sleeve procedure. It has been one frustration after another, but I have some medical issues that need this intervention, so am hoping to get an auth soon to have surgery scheduled. Like you, I have been dring since Sept of last yr. Had a RNY 10 yrs ago, but that needs this revision. Good luck! Will be looking forward to your progress report.

Research. I wasn't a candidate for the sleeve or band. Only switch or bypass. Sleeve: high chance of acid reflux *already had and guess what? None since bypass!* Higher chance of failure no long term research no malabsorption which I need more invasive as far as I'm concerned, they remove over 80% of the stomach and it's not reversible. I needed the threat of dumping. Oreos and cheetos are a weakness of mine. I even like them together. I could eat a pack of oreos with a cup of coffee. Dip, eat, dip eat. sigh And now I've met too many folks that are doing sleeve to bypass revisions oh and the gastric bypass is reversible if complications arise

I did this as well. I didn’t purchase much besides smaller plates/bowls. I am having a revision (vsg to rny) and having smaller dishes helped me eating smaller portions. Also just stocked up on protein drinks i also purchased mederma, it’s a scar cream to help lighten a scar. It’s for vanity purposes but my scars tend to get pretty dark. I am curious to see others responses as well

Tricare’s website doesn’t list revisions as a covered service but it doesn’t....NOT say that. It just has “unlisted procedure” as a non covered. If you pick a DS procedure instead of another rny it may pay. Definitely call Tricare and see what they can do for you. 🤞🤞

Ok all, it's been a long time since I've been on here. The lapband was very successful for me and it'll be 5 years next month. I need some 'banded' opinions. I went to the gastroenterologist. See, my whole life I've had problems. I've had constipation for over a decade, I started getting horrible acid about a year before I was banded, vomiting my whole life (never had a fever, would just feel sick and then after I'd feel back to normal). Anyway, I had been trying to keep track of food I had eaten and I was really starting to suspect Celiac disease. I also have Hashimoto's so...I have a history with Autoimmune problems. So I go in after years of pain and I see a dr. He scheduled me for a whole bunch of tests: colonoscopy, upper GI endoscopy, an xray. Haven't done the others but the xray...well I had a weird reaction to the barium. It kind of tingled and burned a little going down and made me really sick. I didn't find the taste gross at all so it wasn't that (and yeah, I know I'm weird). It was about 5-10 minutes after drinking I started having a full body reaction. I got clammy and almost passed out....then threw up the barium and I felt almost completely normal again. I then guzzled a big glass of Water no problem. However, (though they didn't wait long for the barium to move down), they said the barium wasn't going past my band. Which is silly because I have absolutely no problems with eating or drinking and I was opened wide up for a port revision under my muscle less than a year ago. They said my band was placed correctly except it's kind of the opposite direction that most are placed however I got the big band and I'm a very tiny woman and my doctor had also initially placed my port a little funny too. I think he had reasons for it and I don't question it because he had done many surgeries and was an award winning doc. To make a note of things, the acid only happens when I have super fatty food-just like it did BEFORE the band. Otherwise all of my problems are in my intestines-I love my band and it's never caused my problems before. I rarely PB anymore. And I only throw up with certain foods (thus why I suspected Celiac). But now my Gastro has canceled the colonoscopy and basically just wants to make this about my lapband. 1. My actual problems don't seem to be getting addressed. 2. I'm afraid this is just going to be a costly side trek and it'll just end with them saying they probably want my band out.

Welcome to the group! What surgery are you planning on having? I had a revision to a bypass in Sept. and I am strting to feel myself again and even got into a smaller size jean yesterday. Jump into the forums and you will find so much information and helpful people to help you!

We all have biases - so frankly our voices are just the "knowledge" of ourselves. I am strongly biased but I recognize that there are very many people who have a different story to tell and i greatly respect their successes too! I had the lapband for 10 years. While there are many success stories, I would try to talk anybody out of it for a couple of primary reasons. #1 the "complication" rate is understated - I thought it was the least risky surgery but it was actually fraught with complications for me. Many people do great at first, but the complications over the long haul impact a high number of people. I personally think the primary reason for that is that many needed a fairly tight fill to restrict food and that leads to problems. I found out that "restriction" alone does not work for me. #2 OMG, my life was hell due to the vomiting. enuf said #3 If you are high BMI, it is not likely the best choice since high BMI people tend to need a little "something more" I revised to the sleeve over 3 years ago and have been maintaining a normal size/weight which I never attained with the band. the sleeve is also mentioned as "restriction only" but there is definately more to it then that. It reduced my hunger from an all consuming 24/7 obsession to something I can manage. It restricted how much I eat, not by vomiting, but by reducing my drive to eat. I chose sleeve over bypass frankly because I was freaked out about the bypass at the time. I think I had negative views about it due to someone I knew that did it in 1994 - open procedure and her recovery was hellish. I have a much more open mind about it now as I am more educated. I think it is a good choice too. i think education is key. I strongly encourage that you not only speak to surgeons and get educated but also GO TO SUPPORT GROUPS AND MEET REAL PATIENTS! You can do that prior to your surgery! My basic plan was to get the sleeve and if that wasn't enough, do step two and get the DS. (Reduced stomach, the sleeve, was stage one of the DS for many years. For very high BMI people it was too risky to do it all at once). Due to hard work, great surgeon, and good luck, I didn't need DS as i have been maintaining a normal weight/size for a couple of years now. I lost over half my body weight. I spent most of my life morbidly obese, or super morbidly obese and to be just normal is a dream come true.

This topic comes up just about every day on this site. You can search for it and fine hundreds if not thousands of posts that should help you. For me, the band was never an option to consider. My surgeon feels unless you have really great exercise habits in place, the band will not succeed long term. Banders had to work even harder. Given I have psoriatic arthritis and degenerative spine disease, we felt that was not going to be as successful for me. So my decision was between the sleeve and RNY gastric bypass. We then had to take my health concerns into account. I suffered from a lot of things, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, reflux/herd, diabetes and stage 3 kidney disease. As soon as my surgeon realized that I suffered from reflux, he immediately recommended that I go with RNY. I was devastated. I had my heart set on going with the sleeve. I was told the sleeve can make reflux much worse and that many folks will go the sleeve route and then have to get it revised to RNY anyway. I got a second opinion from my gastroenterologist and he immediately confirmed for me that RNY was the way to go. I had RNY on 9/29/14. It is the best thing I ever did. I am down 95lbs, all of my issues: high blood pressure, diabetes, reflux/gerd, high cholesterol and even my kidney disease have resolved. When you go for your consultation, they should go through your medical history and that should really help with your decision. Good luck to you!