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About the only way you can get revision is serious GERD. But weight gain that soon after sleeve may indicate to some surgeons you aren't ready to undergo another procedure. Check with your bariatric center and see if what you are eating is contributing to weight gain. (are you back to old habits like soda, fast food, junk food, snacking, grazing, etc,). Also be aware that some medications can cause weight gain. Check any meds you take for weight gain as side effect. You need to figure out what is really going on before considering surgery again. With the restriction gone from sleeve, your weight now depends on you and see what you can do to fix problem. Getting regular exercise? Sent from my SM-T580 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey guys just an update I was approved for the revision it will happen in about 4 months and would like your opinion i have the option to go from sleeve to bypass or sleeve to duo switch. ANY THOUGHTS? Also I also ordered bariactric fusion protein powder in unflavored has anyone tried it yet Sent from my SM-G981U using BariatricPal mobile app

Personally, if you KNOW your tum empties quicker than normal, then I would want to start with the sleeve procedure where you keep your pyloric valve. When you do RNY, you cut out the valve and only have a stoma, so it's an open system. I think you will have issues with satiety in both surgeries. But you might have a better chance with satiety in the sleeve where more of the vagus nerve is cut, more of the grehlin producing portion of the tum is cut away and the pyloric valve is intact. Also, if you have to revise, you would be able to revise to DS with more malabsorption for better weight long term sustained losses. Also with DS, you can eat quite a lot of food due to the malabsorption. So if you were struggling with satiety, would have better tools to deal/manage it. An RNY surgery is pretty much the "golden shot surgery" and no really helpful revisions can be made from it.

Hi everyone, This is only the 2nd time I have posted on this website. The last time was about a year ago when my LapBand doctor first mentioned a revision to the sleeve. I have been trying my best to keep my band for the last two years and now I think I just want it out. I have read several of your posts and can relate to many of them. I have been banded a little over 2 years. In those 2 years, I have had 11 fills and 11 unfills ( 2 complete unfills ). My doctor says he has adjusted me more than all his band patients combined in those 2 years. I can't find that "sweet spot" I am either too loose and can eat a horse ( and gain weight ) or I am too tight and get terrible acid reflux that keeps me upright in a chair at night choking on my acid. I can only eat slider foods and even puke them up on a regular basis. Everything seems to affect my band and how tight it is. ie. my TOM, my stress level, how hydrated I am, the humidity in the air, the list goes on and on. I can never tell what to expect from day to day. One thing that is consistant - I can never eat until about noon. There are a few days when I can eat just fine and then the next day I'm puking up everything. I can also relate to everyone's fears and frustrations at getting a second surgery. Initially, I really wanted the sleeve. However, my insurance would only cover the band or RNY. The sleeve was considered experimental. I chose the band because I didn't want my insides rerouted. It scared me too much. The sleeve also scares me a bit because they are cutting out so much of your stomach and you can't get it back. The band sounded safe because it was reversable. Never mind they don't really tell you about all the damage it can do to your insides while it is in there. I believed the band was for me and now I'm sick of dealing with it. I have been fairly successful with the band. I lost 93# but then put 20# back on when I started having all the problems. However, the weight loss hasn't been healthy in my opinion. I loose weight when I'm too tight because I can't eat anything and I gain when I'm too loose because I can and do eat. I'm also sick of the pain that comes along with the band. That awful feeling of being stuck that, for me, can last for 4-6 hours before it finally passes or I thow up. Ouch! I have now learned to puke on demand. Isn't that a feat to be proud of! I feel like the band has made me unhealthy because I only eat food that is bad for me and I can't tolerate anything like Protein or fruits and veggies. I live on junk and protein supplements. My doctor again suggested a revision to the sleeve. He is writing a letter to my insurance to see if they will cover it. Another concern I have is the fact that we may loose or change insurance at my job. What the heck will I do if I loose my insurance coverage with all the adjustments I need. I would like to get the sleeve an skip all the hassle and upkeep with the band. I am about 25# from my goal weight and would like to loose this and then maintain. Do you think the sleeve is right for me? My questions to those of you who have traded your bands for the sleeve are: Are there any foods you can't tolerate with the sleeve? Did you have acid reflux with the band? Do you have it with the sleeve? Did you have any complications during your sleeve surgery? Can you swollow pills now? Do you still get "stuck" on food? What is the best thing you can say about your sleeve? What is the worst thing you have experienced with your sleeve? Would you do it again? Sorry if this is long. Any questions you can answer will definately help me on my decision if I get approved by insurance. Shelli

In Australia (self pay too) it may be different than where you are but, 1. Standard blood tests to establish base points and any comorbities (not that I probably needed comorbities my weight was high enough), also need a test for H-pylori (negative for me), if positive would have needed a course of antibiotics. 2. General anesthesia 3. Yes, but this really depends on the doctor. Some doctors do it to ensure a pattern of compliance, if someone can't do two weeks pre -op liquid/shake diet how will someone be able to manage the post-op liquid diet?? 4. None for me. Some people for various reasons have lost restriction. Tests have revealed that the sutures have become lose or undone. Reason may include non-compliance with post op guidelines, doctor inexperienced with ESG and suture placement, some people who have had a gastric balloon prior to ESG have a higher failure rate, some people with severe vomiting (due to other illnesses) which has caused sutures to loosen...and then there are the people for some inexplicable reasons the ESG has failed even though they have followed all the insructions and they have experienced doctors etc. Some points to bear in mind for ESG: weight loss will likely be slower and lower than the surgical options (average weight loss is 20% of excess weight, some people have lost a lot more, some people have lost less), adherance to post op guidelines is vital - it will help the suture anchor points heal which will help the restriction hold tight. Like the surgical options there is a weight loss sweet spot, for the ESG it is probably the first six months to 12 months. It's tool, we need to make it work to ensure the best weight loss, this means a compliance with post op guidelines for diet and exercise, will need to change all those not so healthy eating habits particularly emotional eating. Generally the ESG is not reversible, and it has been said that for those who choose to have a revision (where the ESG has failed) that a VSG is not a safe option (though I have seen research where such revision has been successful) - i think it may be a chase of the suture anchor points may get in the way of a VSG. Bypass seems to be the surgeons' choice for ESG revision to surgical option. Another ESG is also a viable revision.

You have to wait til the 30th of Sept. Did they at least have you come in and remove the fill? I had a slip in may and my doc got on to me because I did not call him the day of and come in and let him take out the fill. That did not work and I still had to have a revision which just happened on Sept 3rd but am doing good now. Don't wait to long. All sorts of other stuff can happen. My stomach came up throw the band and had to have the doc go in and did not have to replace, but had to remove a small portion of the stomach that would possibly come back through. Mine took so long to get done (the revision due to the insurance company) but my doc. got on it and did what he could till I finally got the insurance company to agree.

So, I think WLS is a very good choice, but I do still cringe a bit at the very young, and even more so, the not very overweight. I get they have their reasons, but I sometimes feel that the serious nature of this business is not well understood. I am not talking about the direct surgical risk - I mean the unknowns of altering your body for a lifetime. For me, it was that or die young. If one of my sons (who are not obese, but one of them is slightly overweight) decided to do it, i would have a very strong opinion against it for them. Young people have metabolism on their side and genuinely believe that if anyone can make without surgery it is young people, particularly lower BMI. They are a good audeince for the "lifestyle" type programs like 20/20 that work on changing your healthy habits wholeistcally. I knew it was bad when the 2 year program i reached out to wouldn't take my money. Told me I didn't have a prayer without surgery- I was too obese for too long - my body had been changed by the obesity. Their honesty was one of the kicks in the gut I needed to revise from my failed band to the sleeve.

Hey all. I figured this would be the best place to post this and I hope it is, but I have a situation that I'm not sure how to handle. I wouldn't necessarily like any relationship advice, but rather...advice on how I should respond to or support my boyfriend. I am hoping to get the Gastric Sleeve surgery. I have talked to the various people in my life that I would tell about the surgery and sought their support; these include my parents, a very select few close friends, and my boyfriend. They are all willing to be supportive and I am grateful, but I seem to be encountering an issue with my boyfriend that I'm not sure how to handle. A brief history: he and I were high school sweethearts, together about 3.5 years before we broke up in college, then we didn't talk for 5 years, we reconnected about 2 years ago and were off and on due to a lot of history to get over, but we've been ON for over a year now. In the time that we weren't together or speaking, he had gotten the LAPBAND procedure, so when we renewed our friendship and relationship, I was really impressed with the weight that he had been able to get off. Back in high school he had gotten up to over 300 pounds and since I've been with him he's been in and out of the ~280 range. So. He's had his lap band for at least a few years. And he hates it. HATES IT. He longs to be able to eat a hamburger with a bun, or any meat at all! He wants to get the band completely removed. Not unfilled, not replaced with a different WLS, just removed. And since I've talked to him about wanting to get WLS myself, it makes me worry even more about him. The thing is, he got the band because weight wasn't coming off no matter what he ate, didn't eat, drank, didn't drink, or how much he exercised. But from how he's explained it, his doctor TOLD him he HAD to get the surgery. It wasn't his original thought and choice. So I've told him that I'm worried about him getting his band removed and it has caused quite the fight between us! He is upset with me for not having faith in him to be able to lose weight and keep it off without the band. A couple of our friends get mad at me too and hit me with the, "you wouldn't still love him if he got fat?" accusation. It's really upsetting. Of course I would love him if he were fatter, I have before! But even back in high school I had talks with him about his weight because I wanted to have a future and a family with him and I wanted him to be around for that and his health was a concern for me! If he gets his band out, that concern becomes alarmingly large in my mind. I've heard what he wants to eat when he gets his band out. And he might say he wouldn't eat a burger every day, but even once a week is too much when he doesn't put in the exercise to burn all of those calories even from one bad day a week. If the pounds weren't coming off before, I don't know what makes him think this time will be any different. Again, he's upset I don't have faith in him. But the thing is, I WANT to have faith in him, but I seriously CAN'T when I have nothing to base this on that he has been able to do it on his own before. His eating habits have always been terrible -- his family rarely ever cooks, then or now, and usually eats out for almost every meal, so he developed those habits. Even now, he'll get that large order of chili cheese tater tots with extra chili and extra cheese from Sonic and eat the whole thing. But now it takes him longer and some bites he has to re-chew and re-swallow two or three times or he'll throw the bite up completely and try again with a new bite. He uses the excuse that "bad food just goes down easier" and he can't eat most meats or even salads (something I've read as being an issue for many band patients), but if he "had the band out, he could actually be able to eat healthier, as in Proteins and salads as a meal". I asked him how I could really have faith in him to do it on his own when I have NEVER seen him do so and he said, "Just because I never choose to show people that I can do it, doesn't mean I can't." At this point in one of our fights, I told him he sounded like a total food addict. "I CAN STOP ANYTIME I WANT TO." But I'm worried that he can't. He's still paying off the band and wants it out. I've tried to talk to him about a revision instead, but he doesn't want to hear it. Since HE didn't choose the surgery, it feels pretty clear he didn't change him mental game and is still a "fat guy" in the brain. He wants the food he can't eat. He still cheats his band and eats bad food. It isn't that I wouldn't love him if he gained weight again, but now that I'm trying to turn my weight and my life around, I still want him to be in it with me. But I don't want him to learn the hard lesson... I don't want to see him fail with weight loss and get miserable if he gets super overweight again and struggle to pay for a third surgery to get a WLS that he should have just done during the second surgery as a revision. So what do I do? What can I say to him when he doesn't want to hear my suggestions? How can I have faith with him when I have such a high percentage in mind that he will fail...even when I wish that he could do it solo? Sorry this turned out so long, so thank you to anyone who actually reads it and replies... But with a big problem comes a big post!

I tried cheese slice today, this was a transition food for me a week ago. My lunch slice was ok but dinner was a no go, right back up. I can say this much. I've lost interest in eating. Going back to Fluid and waiting a week to try food again. I believe I need to eat small, 2T meals seem to be my solid food limit. I chew, its not my problem. I can feel it block me up as just my syliva sends me running to vomit. Funny, I had this for years and my revision was supposed to stop it. Ah feeling sorry for my self... I'll give it a week and try to revisit food. I'm going to listen to my body. I'm eating from my allowed foods. I'm chewing, I'm taking pea sized bites and I'm taking my time. I'm just not ready for solids. When I am, I'm going smaller and more frequent. I am finding this harder then I want to admit. Sorry I'm posting so much, I'm a little lost right now.

Hello there everyone, it's been quite a while since I've been on here, I was sleeved in 2017 only lost 40 pounds! well I've found those pounds, doctor said that I never reached full potential and should consider bypass, anyone out there able to relate? If so how are you doing?

I have Cigna and had my revision done in 1 surgery which they approved. This was after the 3 month requirement was met

I haven't spoken to my Dr as of yet, but can anyone who has had a revision know if the revision costs more, and if so what are the extra costs vs just getting the sleeve without a revision?

I know how stressful it is waiting to find out if the insurance will pay for the revision. My dad is currently waiting for his approval after having his band removed due to slippage, they denied him the first time because his BMI wasn't high enough yet. It's really sad how he has gained every pound that he lost back because he is hungry all the time. His lapband surgeon has been no help what so ever, and still has his picture up as a success story, sorry I just ventured off topic there. Good luck on getting a decision soon, I also have PCOS, and know how fast the weight gain comes and how hard it is to get off.

Hello all! Well..just got my surgery date...August 4th...and needless to say I am actually nervous. This will be a band to bypass revision, and it seems no matter how much research I have done, I find myself very much scared and nervous... it'd be nice to find some that are going through the same journey!! Sent from my SM-N920P using the BariatricPal App

Yep, I know what you mean. That's why I have only mentioned it to my family and then I had to do a tutorial which ultimately meant nothing..... I can't imagine having to explain revision. You can just stop now if you want: don't tell anyone new and if the subject comes up, say you have the situation in hand, you'll be fine, blah blah, etc. Best of luck!

I have not posted on here in a long time, ( a few years) I used to be a regular post on Obesity Help too, until all the band bashing made all the veteran bandsters leave. It seems like a place now for people seeking revisions from the band to something else, and it is no longer a place where anyone with a lap band or seeking a band should post, in my opinion. I also got busy with life, marriage, traveling, etc, living a great post op life, and I have not posted in any forum for a while, and thought I would come back home to LBT to share my journey /accomplishments and struggles and help newbies. I had a hiccup in my journey last year due to an un-diagnosed hiatal hernia that was never repaired during my first band placement, which also contributed to a small pouch dilation (surgeons were not routinely repairing hernia back in 2005), and had my old 4cc/10cm lap band replaced with the new AP small band. I had to switch surgeons to seek a highly qualified revision surgeon because a lot of surgeons are now moving away from the band which in my opinion, at least until a "new buyer is chose for the lap band" which is a disservice to those who really want bands, and what I've read and researched, those who are really wanting lap bands need to search carefully for band-friendly surgeons to offer great aftercare, which is more important than getting the band. Aftercare is the key to success with the band, and having a surgeon that believes in you, and will follow your progress. I was on vacation recently for about 3 weeks out in California and Vegas and I put back on some pounds by eating sweets and I want to take those pounds back off. I started my journey in a size 26 8 years ago, and my lowest size was 8/10, I maintained my weight in a size 10/12 for a solid 6 years until I got married and started having band issues last year but, I settle around a size 12/14, which is not too bad considering where I came from. I am overall happy with my new band, however my old 4cc band felt tighter, and I got restriction quicker with my older band, than with this new AP small band, but I am happy with my new AP band because I have never PB, or had any real issues so far, and I am very optimistic with my new "improved AP band".

I'm a little late to this post, but I haven't been on the site in quite some time. My cousin had the issue you are concerned with.......her intestines wrapped and got tangled. She was very sick for a long time, but once they discovered it and she had surgery to repair, she was fine. Thanks for replying! What kind of symptoms did she have? Is she doing well now? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App I haven't talked to her in a few years. She lives far from me and is actually a cousin through marriage. Anyway.....as I recall, she was very sick, but I don't remember the specifics. But I DO remember that it ended up being the very issue you're concerned about. There is a lot to consider when choosing WLS. I'm agonizing over it myself, because I'm considering a band/plication revision to bypass. I don't know if I will go through with it, but I'm reaching out to everyone I know, including coming back on this site, to get all the info I can. I'm 61 and don't know if putting myself through it is a good choice. Then again, blowing up again and having all the weight related health issues isn't a great thing either!

In my opinion - and it is just that, an opinion - the band is not on the way out. For some strange reason the experience in the USA seems to be very different to that here in Australia.Why I have no idea. Now I am not saying that it is problem free here but the percentage of problems here seems to be a lot lower and it is still the preferred surgery. Maybe it is because aftercare here is easily accessible and not expensive. Maybe it is because Australian Dr's prefer a conservative rather an aggressive fill schedule. maybe it is something else. I know a number of people here that have had their bands for longer than 3 years and are very happy. I know of others that have had them a lot longer. Some have had to have them replaced but they chose to have them replaced not to revise to something else. It may turn out that the sleeve is the perfect WLS surgery. It may be discovered in the future that there are problems with the sleeve that are not yet apparent.They may discover some other magical cure.Whatever. Whatever the future holds we don't know. But in the meantime the band is a safe and effective surgery and it should not just be written off. The most important thing as has been said many times before is to do your research and find the WLS that suits you. Pick your surgeon very carefully and then make sure you stick to the recommendations that your surgeon has given you.

I do think the band is on the way out. So does the Lap Band manufacturer. I think they have changed the band to every possible option and there are still very big problems with it. Slips and erosion are not decreasing, erosion is staying the same and slips are increasing. I think people should have all the information possible about all surgery types so they can make the best choice for them. Don't you think? And this IS a thread asking about bands vs. sleeves. Why wouldn't sleeve folks post here? The rate that mods are revising to other surgery types is about standard for band revisions globally. Don't you think there is a reason so many doctors, hospitals, and even the country of Chile isn't banding anyone anymore? I don't care which surgery someone gets as long as they have information on all surgery types. Then they can choose what is right for them.

I don't think sharing personal experiences is a negative thing. I truly wish the band worked for me the way it did for the few people I know personally that have done well. Now that many people have had the band placed for 3-5 years, we're hearing about complications that SOME are having. With any new surgery, this is bound to happen. If I were considering the band today, I would want to know the good, the bad, and the ugly. That is exactly the approach I took when I decided to revise to the VSG. I'm sorry you see this as a bad thing.

I felt the same way over there. My own mom thinks the LapBand is the most awesome thing in the world. She's had hers for almost 2 years, and she throws up, pb's, slimes, can't eat some days, but she just thinks that is "normal". When she found out I was switching to the sleeve, she was livid. I hope through your research you find the best surgeon, and surgical option that is best for you. My hunger level is completely void, and I'm 3 months out. I had a flipped port that went untreated by my original surgeon and I revised to the sleeve due to pain and my quality of life was deplorable with a different surgeon. The port actually moved, and caused tugging on the band that was attached to my stomach. It was horrific. The sleeve has been great for me. I had complications post-op, and have my own unique struggles every day. But, my successes outweigh the struggles, and every day gets a little better.

You are quite the inspiration lady! I love reading your posts....so right to the point! I am having band/revision to VSG next Friday and your posts have been my salvation! Thank you for continuing to share your journey with all of us and I will keep you and your beautiful family in my thoughts and prayers. You are still soooo tiny....even pregnant!

I have had my band on for eight years and have lost and kept 100lbs off. In two weeks I am having surgery once again because my band has slipped:( The surgeon will be removing the old one and putting in a new one. I thought about removing it completely but I have realized its a tool I can't live without. I am scheduled for April 28th. I am a little nervous but I have faith that all will go well. Ayme:)

My surgeon is not against taking pain killers after the sleeve. He was at the seminar May 15th and at the support meeting Monday May 24th. Also, I met a 22 yr old that had been sleeved. She had constant acid gurgling up in her throat after the surgery. Doc says he's never had this happen. She had to be in the hospital for a month and could not swallow anything. He finally did a revision surgery. She now has a RNY and is doing fine. The only problem is now bragging about now being able to eat Doritos and she showed me the diet pop she was drinking.....:wink0: ! After all those problems and all that surgery (she also had her gallbladder out recently) I would think she would want to eat healthy and help her body heal itself!

I'm around Dallas, but always go up to Oklahoma, at least a few times a month in Hugo area. I believe the revision is where they remove the band, and do the sleeve. Good luck with everything.