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Hi everyone, I am scheduled for a sleeve revision to sleeve on December 2, 2019. I am 46 years old and have been significantly overweight since I was 20 years when I was pregnant with my daughter. I called this thread 'Weight loss 2.0' because my previous gastric sleeve was December 3, 2013. Looking back, I believed the surgery was the magic fix to all of my problems. At first I had considerable success and dropped 100-120 lbs. Then,life happened - well bad things in life happened. I survived two violent attacks, the first in 2014 which left me with physical challenges, and then in 2015, after a sexual assault, I attempted suicide twice. It took me two years to get to a place of mental stability, but by then I regained my weight, plus more. In 2017, I began discussing with my doctor the prospects of having a revision surgery or bypass. For health reasons, the bypass is not an option. I discussed the options and decided I would not get back on the surgery table until I knew I was truly ready for change. What I have learned though, is that there will never be a moment when I will be truly ready, but it is about making a decision to change my life and working hard to do so. I am very good at self-sabotage and while awaiting my final doctor's visit to schedule surgery, I went over in my head all of the reasons I should and should not have the surgery again. After all, my first sleeve in 2013 was a failure and I stretched my sleeve to 2.5 times its size at surgery. There is a million little things that added up to me regaining weight, but I could not stop wondering if I had the fortitude to stick to it this time. All of the questions and doubts went away when I fell out of my shower two weeks ago yesterday. My spine is fused from C2-T1 and I handed on my back with my head and shoulders against the sink cabinet and the shower curtain rod jammed against the bathroom door. Short of the fire department tearing the door down, I had to find a way off the floor. It was early in the morning and my pride/embarrassment was too much to ask for help. Eventually I painfully got up off the floor. In that moment, I felt there is no reason at 46 years old I should not be able to get off the floor. I went to the emergency room to make sure I did not suffer any real damage and then decided to schedule my final appointment and pick a surgery date. I am teetering through excited and terrified because I have been down this road before. In my gut I know it will be different because I am in a different place and have already made changes to start my journey. To commemorate the start of my pre-op diet, I gave up coffee, sugar, snacks, all at once. For some reason last week, I kept eating things I figured I would never be able to eat again and then went cold turkey starting Monday morning. The lack of coffee and sugar alone makes me feel like crap all the time, but I am keep working at it and already lost 3.5 lbs this week. I had a protein bar today that somehow tasted like a mixture of cardboard and paper mache paste dipped in cocoa powder, which was some sort of scientific miracle that allowed it to be stamped as a food product. But it had 20 g of protein and 3 g of sugar. (definitely will not try that one again). For any other coffee addicts out there, I found that hot tea with dry non-dairy creamer (no sugar) is enough to trick my brain into thinking I had my usual coffee drip. The good news I no longer feel like I am losing my mind. The sugar substitutes are just not my thing. Fortunately, I love water and the many trips to the second floor bathroom have been a kick-start to my exercise regime - that is after many years of couch surfing. I found a 64oz water bottle that has times on one side and inspiration on the other, but I feel like I will start floating soon. I truly never realized how dehydrated I was, probably from the excessive amounts of coffee every day. I am less than 2 weeks away from surgery now and I am grateful that I have a sense of hopefulness, mixed with the reality of knowing that after surgery is when the hard work starts. A part of me is grieving too because I need to give up this life-long terrible relationship with food to live a fuller life. Thanks for reading and happy to be here to share my story. I look forward to learning more about other people here. Mya

did you had other symptom beside the pain, was it red or something? i've been band for 6 months, and if I sleep on my side of on my tumy, I need help to get out of bed in the morning and the pain is excruciating it can last a few days then go away for a few weeks then come back. I've notice that my scare is hurting as well even though the is changing color(fading away). I just saw my surgeon two weeks ago, I don't really want to go and see him again. + Im scared he would say I need port revision or something... is there ennyone in the same situation as me... Thanks Julie

Just looking for some moral support and encouragement: I am unfilled and awaiting my revision surgery on March 14. I was unfilled on February 3 and have gained 13 pounds. I know how I did it. EAT EAT EAT...... However, The last week before the unfill I lost 10 pounds in about 6 days due to keeping nothing down. I know that is a very bad, unhealthy loss. shakes and Water were coming back up. I start each day with the best intentions, (LOL) but fall off the wagon in the evenings. It is like Bandster hell. Only I know it will last for quite awhile as it took me over 6 months and 5 fills to have restriction last time. I am worried and have stepped up my physical activity a bit. My friend said I should look at it as only a 3pound gain since the last 10 were a crazy loss. Is that making excuses?

I had gb on 12/14 then a revision to repair a leak 12/20. I've been feeling pretty well but there are some days where I can't stomach my Protein shakes and overall don't feel well. It's like a yuck feeling vs I need to go to the E.R. Is that normal? Has anyone else experienced this?

I have the band, am looking into revision to DS. I have one more appt before they submit to insurance. I started at 239 down to 185 and back up to 242 in the past 6 years. My surgeon and I decided to go the DS route since revisions have a slower rate of loss and DS has better statistics in the regain category. My band was great the first year til my gallbladder decided it wanted out. After that it was a straight uphill climb. I can't wait to get this thing out!

I literally got approved on Monday. I’m a medically required revision.

I forgot to address this aspect of the original poster's question. Revision from bypass to sleeve is possible. In fact, it's been performed on a few occasions. However, revision to a less potent surgical tool is usually ineffective. https://www.sages.org/meetings/annual-meeting/abstracts-archive/revision-of-roux-en-y-gastric-bypass-to-sleeve-gastrectomy-and-hiatal-hernia-repair/

Hiya TX_KB I had my revision 14 December. I also had left side pain, but the whole 3xperience hasn’t been too bad. No nausea from this op (unlike putting the band in) which is the best. Happy 2018 for us - I look forward to us being on the losers bench together!

What they are saying is that the FDA has not PROVEN that there is a need for port revision when it is detached for the actual lapband surgery to work correctly. So they approved the lapband and I had it.. but when I went in for my first fill the port was flipped AND detached.. there was no way to turn it over to put the saline in so I can actually use the lapband device... What tricare is stating is that the FDA has no factual information that the 2nd(revision tot he port surgery) is necessary to make the lapband work...

I love my band and feel successful although I would still like to lose another twenty or so pounds. Exercise, for me, is imparative because of arthritis, etc. I eat two to three healthy meals a day, avoid sliders, chew very well and experience the food rather than wolfing it down as I did before. My surgeon was of the small frequent fills to get me to the correct restriction (wrong word to use but you know what I mean). I have twice gone in for tiny unfills when I felt the first signs of being too tight. For now it's just right. I drink a lot of liquids and can do that without any discomfort (glugging my water). I don't count calories and I eat when I'm hungry and don't eat when I'm not hungry. It's the first one that can be the most difficult as I was a very restrictive professional dieter going into this process. Now I feel hunger and eat until I feel full. My signal is a sigh. I notice, take inventory and I'm done. Sometimes I count off on my fingers 4-5 hours and note the time at which I might feel hungry again. Alcohol certainly hinders weight loss but I indulge for pain relief and enjoyment. Reading through this thread it seems like things got off on the wrong foot. Best wishes with your research. My surgeon is great but he does not discuss the banded life and I suspect has no real idea of how to guide patients in the post-op realm. I got that here when it was Lapband Talk. I found the successful banders and followed them. Now the site is mostly other surgeries and that's a bit discouraging sometimes as the revision folks post so much about their negative band experiences. I love my band.

Mine wouldn't even contemplate setting a date before approval. And it's a good thing they didn't, since my revision approval took forever because SAMBA/Cigna was being a pain in the you-know-what about approving it. It took almost 3 months for just the submission/denial/appeal/denial/appeal/peer-to-peer/approval process, not including any of the pre-submission hoops that I had to jump through. Now I have to do my medical clearances, but I'm hoping to talk them into setting a date so that I can request time off of work and get my mom a plane ticket to come and stay with me.

Hi kaykay, welcome to our forums! I was a revision from the band to the sleeve, so I went in expecting to be in a significant amount of pain after I got out of surgery. However, I was pleasantly surprised in that I found there was very, very minimal pain. I hardly took any of the pain medicine, and when I did, it was more to help me sleep the first couple of nights than anything.

At the beginning of April I all of a sudden had no restriction and was able to eat anything. I went for a fill thinking that I had just waited awhile and that maybe the band just loosened after losing weight, but still no restriction. I went back the next week and got another fill, and yet still no restriction so they decided to check to see how much fluid there was. They were only able to pull out 3cc, when my chart said that I should have had a little more than 9cc. She gave me a fill of 4cc (which would bring me back up to 7cc) and told me to come back the next week. I came back and they checked the fluid again..... still only found 3cc! They told me that it had to be a port leak and that I would need to get a port revision. I freaked at the sound of $1550 seeing as how I am a self-pay and still paying on my surgery. Well I got the loan regardless and had the surgery on May 7th. When I got out of surgery, my doctor told me that he was not able to see the leak in the port. I was furious seeing as how they did not even offer me the option to have the barium to see if it was even a port leak.. they were just so sure that they knew what it was. I mean the barium would have only been $100 vs. $1550 for the surgery and for a college student I would have rather taken the lesser of the two and prevented a surgery that I did not need. So I went back to the doctor this past Tuesday to get a fill. He told me that during surgery he gave me a fill of 5cc and that he was going to give me another fill of 4cc on that day (which would bring me up to 9cc). When he checked the fluid after giving the fill, I only had 7cc! I have to go back tomorrow to see if the 7cc are still in there.. if not then it's something to do with the band, which is something he has never heard of happening! I'm beginning to get extremely discouraged because I am only 13 months banded and already running into problems when I haven't even reached my goal weight... not to mention all of these expenses that I am incurring on top of the surgery I am still paying for. I go back tomorrow to see if the 7cc are still in there.. I will keep you all updated! Wish me luck.. :cursing:

OMG.I am so sorry to hear this.There should be a class action lawsuit and a ban on the lap band procedure.I have so much damage and I am awaiting approval from the insurance company..In pain and I feel bilious because my port has flipped...I had a doctor that I saw in the same practice that was known as the "lapband Doctor ".No personality and a bad attitude when someone came in complaining and seeking a revision.He performed some sleeve procedures but was adamant that he performs the procedure 6 months apart.First removal then revision.I have had a DVT...not looking to have to separate procedures.I was originally going for a revision to a sleeve but my acid reflux is off the charts.This band has caused damage to my insides.Plus I developed breast cancer...hmmm....silicone in body...erosion... I changed to another doctor in the same practice....you could tell they know the band is faulty....you could see it when you discuss all your problems...they have heard it all many times before.If I don't get it out soon...I am in trouble I think you should seek a lawsuit!!!

@@gebbiabn you're so right. That's the long and short of it and how it was explained to me by my surgeon. Which is why i revised from band to bypass.

Time for an update. I went last week for my pre-op appointment with my surgeon and the first thing I was told was that Shands had cancelled the operating block for my surgeon and that I would have to wait weeks and maybe months for another date unless I wanted to speak with my surgeon's partner and have the surgery at another hospital (which happens to be a local Bariatric Center of Excellence). I figured what the hell and opted to speak with him to see if I liked him. Well, I didn't like him. I LOVED him! I have spoken with four surgeons in the past six months and he is the first one to ever take the time to go into explilcit detail about how my band eroded and then exactly what he will need to do when he removes it. When I asked him which revision surgery he would recommend, he said he wouldn't recommend anything until he got inside to see what kind of damage the band has done. The one thing he was completely adament against was me having any procedure that involved getting another band. He said that in all likeihood, I would erode again. I just love this guy. He is very thorough, a perfectionist (he spent 30 minutes fixing the information in my chart) and he and I are very much on the same page. So I am still scheduled for this Thursday the 29th at Memorial Hospital and I'm ready to get this thing done. I'm sure I will write about my experience once I get home and in bed so others can have something to guage their upcoming surgeries with. I know that reading about everyone else's experiences sure helps me. See you after surgery!

I would like to know how the revisions are going? We have the Protein items in Maine that you are using Banded... I love each I have tried, except the broc cheddar Soup I thought was nasty.... I need to try the lemon!

Hello everyone. I had the sleeve done august 17 2015. I lost 70 pounds in the first year. Little by little my weight started to come back. Now I’m the same weight I was before doing the surgery. Would this da revision be an option for me? I really would appreciate any advice you could give. I need to get healthy again.

I had the Loop DS surgery (no revision) and yeah sleeping in bed was a no for me for at least the first week. I also slept on the couch with a bunch of pillows propped up behind me. The recovery does take a little longer than most WLS, but it'll pass! Congrats on your new surgery!

I just had the sleeve to ds revision a week ago and it was amazingly better than my original sleeve recovery. All major pain was gone in about 3 days and I was going for walks day 5. I think it’s a case by case thing. I do have to sleep propped up by pillows but it’s because of this darn acid reflux. That’s probably the worst part but totally manageable with Pepcid. Good luck guys!

Omg the healing process is so much different and painful. I had my revision on 9.17.2020 and the pain has me so uncomfortable to move, talk, cough,anything. I cant even lay down. I literally have a cloud of covers and pillows on the couch to keep me propped for comfort. I am really hoping for weight loss as I am working on my discipline this time around cause I failed my sleeve unfortunately and I am not in denial about it. Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

I do have to chew very well, and slowly. I don't get nauseas too often, but as soon as I have not chewed/ or eat too fast....it's like my throat fills with mucus and it feels like I am full to the top of my throat....and you guessed it! I have to go throw up until I get the un-chewed portion out. But I do not have any more nausea like in the beginning. Thank Goodness! I had a band revision to rny bypass in the same surgery, and I believe the extraction of the band, port and scar tissue really made my stomach extra sensitive in the first month or so. Definitely keep drinking your fluids, and keep trying your different protein choices...you never know what day your tastes will change and you will be able to tolerate the new foods. Hang in there.

Congratulations! How are you feeling now? I just had my revision done on 11/6. I’ve been in a lot of pain and having trouble swallowing pills. Are you able to drink 64 oz water? So far I’m on my second water bottle and it’s 4pm and I managed to drink 11oz premier protein drink. This is such a strange thing for me, I’m so use to wanting to eat eat, and right now I could careless. Did you or anyone else have shooting pains near an incision site. HW 367 SW 346 Revision from band to gastric bypass RNY on 11/6/17

I had my revision on 12/9 of last year and have lost 75 pounds, down to 135. I am 62 years old so was concerned it would not work for me, but I am extremely happy. Down side is baggy skin, and I considered a facelift and many other "lifts" but decided against them. I am very happy with my decision and grateful to my surgeon... he was very supportive and did a great job. Lots more energy. I do get weighed 2x a week because I do not intend to regain and will modify my days accordingly, but I can tolerate just about anything. Advice is to keep up with the vitamins and water.

Do you want to spend the rest of your life getting bigger? Wait until you are 50 BMI (with probably more co-morbidities) to qualify? I think most people will say the earlier you do it, the better. You are young so don't wait for 20 years letting things pass you by that you couldn't do because of your weight. Get the surgery. Compared to all other weight loss methods, cutting out part of your stomach will "reset" your body - metabolism gets boosted, most people with diabetes no longer have it within weeks (sometimes days) of having the surgery, and for many women, the PCOS issue also gets resolved. There are a lot of medical journal articles about this, easily found on the internet - and I imagine, since you are at nursing school, you probably have even more resources to access that support these claims. Another benefit to your youth is that your skin is still pretty elastic and will probably bounce back a lot better than those of us who are older and are already dealing with sagging skin, not just because of the weight. If you haven't already seen her videos, Clusie L has a ton of great videos explaining her process of getting through gastric sleeve surgery, food, plastic surgery, etc. I know she has multiple videos explaining why she got it and her struggles trying to get her family on board while she was still a teenager, but I can't find it at the moment. However, this video is a good substitute, geared towards teens, but maybe it will help you in making a decision. Edit: my first surgery (sleeve) was done at 42, I just had a revision (45). I wish I had done this 10 years ago when my weight really started ballooning up beyond Obese (class 1) into 2, then 3, then beyond.