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I am considering a revision from lapband to rny. Just wondering If anyone has any regrets about WLS???

Ok to start hello fellow banders my names kristin im 24 and ivr had my band since i was 19.. This has tfuly been a terrible scary awful yet amazing journey.. I weighed 420 when i got my band i got down to 276 so i lost almost 150 pounds which i wish i could say yay im so proud of myself but no see my port flipped and i couldnt get any fills so by the time i could afford to fix it i was back up to 340 finally got it revised AWAKE! Terrible but got a fill and on the right track i went with diet and exercise guess what year later flipped again gained the same weight back same story fixed it started losin switched doctors flipped again luckly this time it had flipped itsself back but not not before i got back up to 340 this was in march of this year suddenly witj no fill since september im hecka tight cant eat or drink lucky to get one small meal in a week every other day a little water goes down.. I am now at 285 which is great but all for the wrobg reasons i go for a barrium swallow last wednesday says im to tight takes some out now i can drink water more frequently but NOTHING else! Anything with food color gathers in my band and i puke it up in a slimy ball no food except some ocassional soup if im lucky and killer heartburn n acid reflux.. Is anyone else going threw this? Please tell me your doctor has givin you some incite truly fed up and ready to havr it removed ive struggled a.d suffered to long to still be this over weight.

I have had two other bariatric surgeons. One moved to California and the other i went to for over a year before transferring to Dr. Sandor. He is Wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I recently revised from band to vsg and could not speak more highly of a dr. or his staff. Good luck.

Welcome to LBT! Please remember that a lot of people come here to do research and post problems they are having and then leave. Most of the "Long Timers" are out living happy lives. Band Slippage, Erosion, and Port revision are the biggest problems and those happen very rarely... the complication threads can be scarey but you have to know the possible problems going in. There are MANY, MANY people who have no problems at all. The band helps your hunger but it doesn't change your head. Emotional eating, and for me it was a process of "BREAKING UP WITH MY BEST FRIEND" food.......... no longer can I gorge myself on a pizza because I'm happy, sad, mad, or stressed.... If you eat to fast.. food will get stuck and that causes a Productive Burp or a Slime........ You really have to get to know your body. The "filled" band creates a small pouch or stoma, the pouch fills up quickly which ceases your hunger. If you choose to fill your pouch with solid Protein and DO NOT drink with your meal the protein will slowly disolve and empty out of th pouch very SLOWLY which means that you stay full longer and eat less. If you fill you pouch with crunchy/crumbly food it AND OR drink with meals it will flush the pouch much faster and you will be hungry more frequently. If you eat white doughy bread or other things with a high gluten content it will get gummy and act as a cork getting stuck, and either it has to come UP or you wait til it disolves. Personally it took me 2 years to decide to get the band. I had been sucessful with Atkins. I have lost over 80 lbs 3 times in my adult live and 20-30 lbs more times than I can count. My problem is MAINTAINING the loss.. which is were the band comes in. It is a TOOL that I use in conjuction with LC choices to once again lose this weight, but even better the ability to get fills and unfills will allow me to maintain my loss. I've even taken up exercise........... so for those looking for a quick fix or a magic surgery.. this is NOT it.... I STILL have to make the right choices and as much as I wish I didn't I have to EXERCISE....... but the band DOES MAKE IT EASIER TO MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES! Don't get caught up in all the negatives posted here... everyone is different.. you have to look at the ENTIRE picture... the good the bad the exercise. If you follow the bandster rules you can expect to average 1-3 pounds a week......... Look up JulieNYC, BOO, KAT, Princess in the Pep, Neal, TELLY, heck go check out the progress pic thread......... the pages are filled with HOPE, Motivation, Inspiration and people just like you and me........ then make your decision.

Just confirmed band to sleeve revision 8/15/2017 with Dr. Ariel Ortiz @ OCC in Tijuana Mexico. Not really nervous at all. The band surgery was a breeze for me and I have had one other surgery (non weight loss) with no complications. I seem to recover well from injury and surgery, so it doesn't scare me much. Banded 2/2009, had great success. Over 100 lbs lost, exceeded goal. Ran into trouble about a year ago with not being able to get the right adjustment and dealing with reflux. Decided the band has outlived it's life for me and I can't do it alone, so it's the sleeve for me.

I haven't had much trouble with pain, still a little tender but that's about it. I only have one problem right now, which unfortunately is a major one, I can't keep fluids down. I'm just hoping I don't need anything more than an edg with dilation. A revision surgery would be a nightmare. I'm just relying on prayers and steroids to get me through Tuesday when I see the dr. I do have occasional gas pains but no big deal. I'd give anything to keep fluids down.

Really? It seems like 34-38 do better than 40+ bougies. Just my observation. I'm a revision (ugh!) so I'm worried I may need tighter because I have a big appetite, I eat and can eat more 2 mins later and feel like I never ate. So it's not food choices it's volume for me. Just researching, I'm SO scared this wont work for me like my band. Sigh.

Heya! I'm scheduled for surgery 8/5 at NY-Presbyterian-Columbia. I'm a Brooklynite. Getting revision from lap-band to the sleeve. Anyone else a revision patient?

Thanks y'all. Dark, I had my band in 2006 , I Lost 125 pounds got down to 125 pounds ... the year mark i slipped my band , then slipped it again , The doc told me around year 3 or so if i had it filled again it would close off the opening to my stomach there was so much scar tissue build up. Slowly over the last few years it got worse and worse and the last several months solid foods cause me severe pain to eat. I lived on liquids for hte most part for the last 6 months. Here is a post from my blog that explains it in more detail http://tryingtostays...affects-me.html good luck on your revision

The liver shrinking thing is something of a debatable point within the bariatric community these days, with the current concensus being that no diet of a couple weeks makes a notable difference in the size of a diseased liver. What can be improved is the reduction of a slime coat that forms on the surface of a fatty liver, making it easier to handle for some. The normal protocol for this is a low carbohydrate diet, typically consisting of leaner meats and non-starchy vegetables. Some programs will substitute a meal or two per day with a protein shake to get patients used to them for their post-op world, but an all liquid diet provides no real benefit toward this goal. The surgeons who impose these all liquid diets seem to have something else in mind, but I have never found any good reference to it. It might be a belief in it helping get patients ready for weeks of post-op liquids that some use or may simply be a legacy of past practices ("that's the way we've always done it.") My experience has been that the surgeons who routinely do some of the most complex bariatric procedures and revisions generally don't need their patients to do these diets, even the very heaviest, implying that they're bringing tools and experiences to the table that negate the need for such pre-op treatment. These docs also tend to have more rapid post-op progressions as well, often starting with soft foods in the hospital or after only a few days of liquids rather than weeks; our info binder states that their experience has been that patients tend to do better the sooner they move from the supplements/shakes into real food. This is why I tend to look a program's pre- and post-op dietary practices as a window (one of several) on their skills and experiences. Congrats on your routine surgery and recovery, and keep up the sip,sip,sipping and the walkies! thanks, i can see your point....guess my research has not been that extensive, my dr. did tell me that they can tell by looking at the liver whether a person follows the diet or not and that many do not....but obviously the surgery still happened..for me doing the shakes before surgery, allowed me time for learning and experimenting what i liked and didnt....got so good at it, i can make a Protein Drink taste just as good as Mcdonalds shake and healthier...between a combo of unsweetened almond milk, ice, no sugar, no fat choco pudding (homemade w/ skim milk), nonfat, plain greek yogurt, vanilla protein powder...course right now, 6 days after surgery, i have omitted a few of these ingredients temporarily. Sent from my SM-S820L using the BariatricPal App

Update: All parties have now conceded the band isn't working for me. I have, officially, lost the band war. I am now starting a whole new war with my GP in trying to get a revision to something else. She is anti-surgery. Even worse, she is not computer literate, a complete requirement now that Ontario has moved to a totally automated referral system for the bariatric network. Me getting the proper healthcare I need may be completely sidelined by my doctor's ability to register for a username.

I had a stricture. I was in a lot of pain after with spasms and vomiting for hours (7 total). I just got corrected information from my friend who took me. I was almost closed 100%. They opened me 5 cm ( we have the 5 right but maybe its mm?) They told her I meds to go in every week for up to 4 times they estimate. It was horrible for me. I'm going ro ask for some kind of after care the next time. Please if you can expand on the stoma closing I would appreciate it. I'm scared now. I was already scared but now I'm just shocked. My friend said she wanted to give me a few says to get better before she gave me all the info because I had such a bad reaction to the stretching. It was exactly 1 month out and I'm a revision. This is all unpaid, now adding to the stress. Physically I'm set back a good week. Emotions are raw. I don't want to face this 4 more times. My friend said they maxed out going 5 cm and could do no more. They need me at ten and o was near zero. I was told it will regress and they will keep fighting it untill it is open. Any info? I'm scared.

As @catwoman7 said both surgeries are good & will work to help you lose your weight. And you’ll hear from people who swear one or the other is the best. But remember it was best for them. Do lots of reading including people’s stories & experiences here, ask your surgeon lots of questions & for their recommendation. The decision will come down to your personal health & medical needs & history & your personal choice on how you want to live your life. Both share some similar considerations in regard to dumping & malabsorption, the post surgical recovery & plans (differences are more from surgeons or your specific needs). Dumping & malabsorption are possible with both but a little less common with sleeve - luck of the draw - but both can be managed. I don’t dump but I do have some malabsorption (protein & some meds) but it’s from my lack of gall bladder not my sleeve & I don’t need to take additional vitamins. I was leaning towards a sleeve from my research and after my conversation with my surgeon, who thought it would work best for me, I decided it was for me. I had mild reflux which I managed 99% with dietary choices (still do, it’s different, need meds every day but is manageable). Decided if I needed to (for gerd, extra weight loss help, etc.) I could revise to bypass in the future. I didn’t want to depend on vitamin supplements if I could. I didn’t have any co morbidities. I lost all my weight & more with my sleeve & have maintained (+ 1 kg). All the best whichever surgery you choose.

I had a band for 3-1/2 yrs. Only lost weight within the first 6 months, then nothing after. Was miserable with food getting stuck, etc. Ended up with a hiatal hernia near the band site. Revised to the VSG in January and loving life now! In my opinion, the band is evil:sneaky2:... I wouldn't recommomend it to anyone except Osama bin Laden.

Hi everyone, First off, I apologize if this question has been asked and answered previously. I did a search and did not find one that matched my question. I was not sure of the forum to post this question between revisions or insurance. I currently have a lap band in and found out it has prolapsed. My insurance company (UHC) does cover revision surgery. I have met their criteria as far as BMI, comorbodity and psych evaluation. They also have a 6 month medically supervised diet criteria. Has anyone with UHC been able to have this criteria waived with an early submission of a device failure? Thank you for your replies.

Mine was supposed to be 2. I had a revision from band to bypass. I had a minor complication and stayed 4 nights. Sent from my SM-G935V using the BariatricPal App

FINALLY AFTER MANY MONTHS MY REVISION SURGERY HAS BEEN APPROVED!!!!! THANK YOU WALTER & KELLEY LINDSTROM, Lindstrom Obesity Advocacy, FOR NOT GIVING UP AND FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. 2016 is going to be a year of wonderful changes in my life! I'm looking forward to this new chapter in my life!!!!

Insurance paid for the revision and I have the LB 10 cc. AP Band.

What all can you have on the liquid preop diet? I am doing band to revision and still waiting to hear from insurance. But is it clear liquids? Any liquids? Sent from my SM-G925V using BariatricPal mobile app

Date should be mid to end August approved just waiting on letter with date xx slight delay as I am on Holiday last 2 weeks in July band to by pass revision what surgery are you having? It's exciting x

The silver lining here is, you were banded and because you were banded you were able to revise to a different surgical technique. You still have a stomach a surgeon can work on. This may not be the case with other surgeries? And, you probably know what to expect with the sleeve this time around. A total commitment or bust! Good luck.

Wow, where do I begin.. About a year ago I began a journey to get a revision from a "supposed" RNY. It was really a mini gastric loop. I did TONS of research and decided that the DS was the best thing for me. Jan 26, 009 I went in for the procedure-that's when the problems began. I had so many adhesions that I ended up losing my spleen, and part of my pancreas. I ended up with a VSG instead.I was in ICU for 2 weeks. During that time they found after a swallow test that I had a stricture and they had to go back in and fix that. 4 days later they took the NG tube back out again and found I had a leak. So nothing by mouth continued from then for weeks to follow. I was sent back home 4 days later on Home Health Care on IV antibiotics and tube feeding. Weeks later I developed pluerisy twice, and ended up with some pretty nasty ulcers which still give me trouble. I am on the up-swing now for the most part. The weight is coming off and I can eat a lot of things. (-65 lb so far) I do my best to get my Protein in first and stay away from the junk. That part is hard because the junk stays down easier, but I'm being careful. I am having a huge hair loss problem, so if anyone has any advice, let me know. I have lots of hair. but it's not going to last forever at this rate!..lol.. I have been taking madnesium to help, but no luck so far. Oh and BTW- I have been in recovery for a couple years now, so if anyone can relate, msg me up:) In Love and Light, Robin

I have had 2 bands... Both unsuccessful (over last 7 years). I had all the fluid taken out 2 years ago when I got pregnant. Now my baby is a year and one I can no longer afford follow up and fills. And 2 after only loosing average 20 total I feel it's pointless. I am considering the sleeve. I thought they would remove band wait several months and do the sleeve however I am seeing that people are having band removed and getting sleeve revision same time. I would like to hear from both people that had it done in one surgery and people that did it in two. I wish I had done the sleeve to begin with because the revision makes me nervous since taking the band off will result in irritation and swelling (as with any surgery) but I wanted to know what to expect and what complications people have had. No sugar coating LOL Thanks for your help with my decision.

I was open for either but my surgeon chose sleeve for me. The reasoning was that if I didn't lose enough or had issues, I would still have the option for a revision to lose more if I needed whereas bypass is a one shot deal. Also I'm an athlete and the malabsorption issues might have caused a problem with a high activity level. I think sleeve was the right choice for me and while my loss has been slower than some I've been able to maintain muscle mass which I don't think I could have done with the bypass.

I have had band in for probable 6-7 years... Te last 2 years my band has been empty due to my having a baby. I was never successful on band... And after talking to y'all want revision to sleeve. Some questions I had were... Is it beneficial to have the band drained first? I know mine is already drained but since I have had it in do long I wondered if that is a plus as far as the revision goes. I also wanted to know those who are successful with sleeve did you weight loss "age" you in appearance in your face. That may found stupid but I have a friend lost a lot of weight with her 3 bands lol... But while her body looks good she looks 10 years older now and wrinkles so defined in face. She's 40. Is there anything that you guys would suggest that someone who will have the sleeve in future can start doing now to help with the changes your body will go through. I hope that mashed sense ... Like should I take Biotin now to prevent hair loss if surgery is planned 2 months from now... As always thanks